MSR FreeLite
The FreeLite 1 tent is a solid choice for a double-wall tent that’s light on my back and doesn’t skimp on the features and quality I want in a backpacking tent.
MSR FreeLite Specs
MSRP: $419.95
Packed Weight: 1 pound, 15 ounces
Interior Peak Height: 39 inches
Floor Area: 20 square feet
Vestibule Area: 8 square feet
Dimensions: 87 inches long, 33 inches wide head to foot
Fabric: 15D ripstop fly and tent floor
Capacity: One person
About the MSR FreeLite 1
The MSR FreeLite 1 tent meets my backcountry needs: light on my back, semi-freestanding for ease of setup, and double-walled to keep condensation off inner walls. The tent is tall enough to sit up in without my head scraping the ceiling, and the side entry means I don’t have to contort my body to get in and out of the tent. These and other features make the FreeLite a champ on trail.
MSR FreeLite Features
Capacity: One person. The tent body is 87 inches long, and I can stretch out to my full 5 feet, 10 inches with room to spare. The 33-inch head-to-toe width gives me enough room to change clothes and organize gear without bumping the side walls.
The FreeLite also comes in two- and three-person models, and a friend who has the two-person tent likes the two doors and adequate space for two.
Storage Pockets: Four. Two at the head of the tent, and two on the ceiling, all with small holes to accommodate charging cords. I put wet socks in the top pockets to dry overnight and stash my phone, headlamp, and satellite communicator in the two side pockets. Small tabs on the ceiling also let me run a cord to hang other wet gear.
Fabric: Tent makers cut weight by using lighter materials, and the FreeLite’s 15D ripstop nylon for the fly and tent floor is common among double-walled tents. The body and fly fabric are thin and lightweight, but with care should hold up for years. A footprint is a good idea for rocky ground pitches. MSR sells a universal footprint for $46.95.
Setup: Minimum of three stakes to set up: two for the foot end of the rectangular-shaped tent body and one to hold out the door/vestibule. Two additional stakes at the head end of the tent body increase stability, and two more stakes are a good idea to pull the fly away from the non-door and tent head sides, increasing ventilation and keeping the fly from sagging onto the tent body when it’s raining. Two of the four tent fly cords included with the FreeLite can be used to do this. The other two cords, with stakes that you supply, can be used to stabilize the FreeLite during strong winds.
Poles, Stakes: Two poles; one long pole to hold up the tent body and a small horizontal spreader pole. The poles are DAC NFL lightweight aluminum.
Ventilation: With the two-way zipper on the fly door I can pull one zipper slide all the way to the ground, preventing rain from splashing inside, and pull the top zipper slide down to a point that rain doesn’t get in but allows ventilation to prevent condensation. And staking out the guy lines at the head of the tent and non-door side pulls out the fly to increase ventilation while still providing good rain protection. Overall, the FreeLite excels at preventing condensation, shedding rain, and keeping me dry inside.
Door: The FreeLite has a wide door that lets me get in and out of the tent easily. The vestibule fly has a flap that covers the zipper and channels water down the fly. The mesh interior door has two zippers: one that runs vertically on the left (facing the tent), the other that runs horizontally at the bottom. The zippers meet at the bottom corner of the door, eliminating the stress that often plagues a one-zipper setup that follows the bend of the door. The FreeLite’s configuration also means that I always know that the two zipper pulls are at the bottom of the door; no more searching for the zipper pull during a nighttime foray outside the tent.
What You Get: Tent body, rain fly, two poles, 7 stakes, 4 optional guy lines, 3 stuff sacks for poles, stakes, and tent body/fly, and setup instructions.
Weight:
- Minimum weight for traveling ultralight (tent body, fly, and 2 poles) is 1 pound, 10 ounces.
- Packed weight (tent body, fly, two poles, seven stakes, four guy lines, and stuff sacks) is 1 pound, 15 ounces.
- What I carry: Tent body, fly, two poles, seven stakes and two guy lines, so I save some weight but fall closer to the packaged weight.
Weather Resistance: The FreeLite rain fly and bathtub tent floor have a DuraShield waterproof coating and taped seams. The fly pulls far away from the side of the tent, eliminating backsplash and keeping the inside dry during rainstorms.
Double Wall Vs. Single Wall: Double-wall tents’ strength is keeping condensation off the inside walls of a tent, while the appeal of single-wall tents is their low weight. The gap is narrowing as double-wall tents get lighter and single-wall tents do a better job of handling condensation. But as someone who hikes in the wet, humid Northeast, I’m sold on a double-wall tent to keep me dry. And I like getting under 2 pounds for a double-wall tent.
Side vs. Front Entry: I slept in front-entry tents until a few years ago, when my coffin-like front-entry tent had me contorting uncomfortably to get in and out the door. I switched to side-entry shelters, which I find much easier to get in and out of, and haven’t looked back.
Manufactured: Imported.
MSR FreeLite 1 Pros
Condensation: I don’t like waking up to condensation inside my tent. The FreeLite’s fly stays far enough off the ground on the sides to provide good ventilation while still keeping out rain.
Lightweight: Although not ultralight, the sub-2 pound weight is the lightest double-wall tent that I have carried.
Comfort: There’s plenty of room inside for my air pad, sleeping bag, and clothes. My shoes and backpack stay in the large vestibule.
Small Footprint: The FreeLite is easy to set up in small spaces.
Pockets: Four mesh pockets to store a phone, satellite communicator, and other small gear. All four pockets have small cords to run charging cords through.
MSR FreeLite 1 Cons
Big Enough?: I’m comfortable on multi-night trips inside the FreeLite 1, but for a hiker on a long trip the extra space of a two-person shelter can be luxury. The FreeLite 2 weighs 2.35 ounces, a 6-ounce weight penalty that can be worth it for the extra space for one, or as a solid tent for two people.
Overall Value
The FreeLite falls in the price range of comparable tents, but that’s not saying that $419.95 isn’t a lot of money. But considering the use I’ve given the FreeLite I expect it to last me for years.
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This product was donated for purpose of review.
